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credit rating

credit rating

29 3.5
A number showing how likely a person, company or country will repay loans
  • noun
  • /ˈkrɛdɪt ˈreɪtɪŋ/
translation icon : calificación crediticia
  • A high credit rating can help you secure better interest rates on loans.
  • credit rating agency
  • applicant's credit rating
  • high credit rating

Moody's has downgraded the US credit rating from AAA to AA.

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Examples

  • Other industry members have seen their credit ratings drop, and financing costs for the industry have risen dramatically.

    Academic text (2004)
  • Ford lost its investment-grade credit rating in 2005, when it was deeply in debt.

    Blog text (6)
  • What exactly is the credit rating on this bond?

  • Many insurance companies will check your credit rating before quoting you on your auto insurance.

    Blog text (8)
  • If you hold out too long, you could jeopardize your credit rating.

  • Their computers gathered up the credit data of millions of Americans and were being used by the banks to decide individuals' credit ratings.

  • Failure to comply could adversely affect your credit rating.

  • And as you can see, according to Standard and Poor's, Argentina's credit rating is AD, which is as low as you can possibly get.

  • Moody's has downgraded the US credit rating from AAA to AA.

  • Poor harvests, declining markets, and bad public relations might easily jeopardize the credit rating and financial position of small-town shopkeepers.

    Academic text (2001)

Synonyms

rating
vscredit rating
460 2.6

A score that shows how good something like a film or restaurant is

applies specifically to debt repayment ability based on financial record
FICO
vscredit rating
5 6.7

A credit score lenders use to decide if someone can get a loan

measures ability to repay based on personal financial history
creditworthiness
vscredit rating
  • Specialized
4 6.7

How likely a person or company will pay back money they borrowed

focuses on a numerical assessment of repayment ability rather than general trust
creditability
vscredit rating
  • Specialized
7.4

The quality of being trusted by banks to get a loan

refers to a scored evaluation of debt repayment ability

How Creditworthy

creditworthy
  • Specialized
3 5.0
credit rating
29 3.5
bad debt
  • Specialized
9 4.1

Surface Forms

credit rating singular

Morphology

credit + rating

The meaning 'a score assessing ability to repay debts' is directly derivable from combining 'credit' (financial trust/loan) with 'rating' (an evaluation or score). This noun+noun compositional pattern — literally the rating of one's creditworthiness — is transparent and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

The term credit rating comes from banks and other lenders giving a simple score, with credit meaning 'trust that someone will pay back money' and rating meaning 'a number or mark'. So today credit rating means 'a score that shows how likely a person or country is to repay debts'.